Sugandha Mahajan
CITIZENSHIP
India
HINRICH SCHOLARSHIP
INSEADSingapore / France
Master in Business Administration, Class of 2021
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT
Acting Engagement ManagerMcKinsey & Company, Stockholm, Sweden
“Becoming a Hinrich Global Trade Leader is not only a generous financial contribution to my education and future but also a validation for the numerous women entrepreneurs striving to make a mark in India.”
Alumni background
Sugandha is currently serving as an Acting Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Stockholm, Sweden, where she assists clients across Europe and the Middle East in addressing complex strategic, financial and operational issues. Previously, as a management consultant at McKinsey, she focused on corporate restructuring, transformation, and sustainability, working with leading industrial clients across Europe on environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and organizational health.
Before joining McKinsey, Sugandha served as Head of Business Development and Strategy at Ashoka International, a manufacturer and exporter of military, safety and professional footwear in Uttar Pradesh, India. This role deepened her understanding of leadership and organizational design, inspiring her to further her education in international business and trade at INSEAD.
Sugandha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Delhi University and earned her MBA at INSEAD in 2021 through the Hinrich Global Trade Leader Scholarship Program.
Personal statement
I started my career as an investment banker, working for Japan’s biggest investment bank for 4 years. This experience was my first window to international trade and how structured businesses can transform economies. Wishing to see a similar impact closer to home, I joined my family-owned business in 2017.
Since joining the firm, I have strategized our participation in multiple international trade fairs and built a team of eight global distribution agents which has added to our client network by 35%. I have also digitalized the traditional operations to allow greater transparency and ease of access, resulting in development of cost optimization strategies. One such strategy enabled us to restructure 90% of our raw material sourcing to primary producers, thus eliminating middlemen and reducing the cost by 25%.
Last year, while researching ways to sustainably dispose of leather scraps from our production process, I was inspired by the Hinrich Foundation’s impeccable research on Indian leather trade and on-going sustainable efforts. As a result, I ideated re-using the scraps to create new products, resulting in elimination of 80% of our waste. Additionally, by actively pursuing women to do higher-skilled jobs and providing facilities to make their work environment safer, I have been successful in increasing our female employees from two to 12.
The safety equipment industry is expected to grow to US$86 billion by 2026 with higher demand for environmentally conscious products. I hope to harness this growing market with Hinrich Foundation’s support and expertise coupled with an MBA from INSEAD. The prolific network of peers and leaders that I intend to build due to this award will be crucial in accelerating my progress as an Asian female entrepreneur.